Two workers rescued from Nepal hydropower tunnel nine days after floods
Rescuers pulled two workers alive from the Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel on September 4, nine days after catastrophic flooding struck Nepal’s Himalayan hydropower corridor.
In short
- Rescuers pulled two workers alive from the Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel on September 4, nine days after catastrophic flooding struck Nepal’s Himalayan hydropower corridor.
Two workers were rescued alive from Nepal’s Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel on September 4, nine days after flash floods buried parts of the facility in mud and debris.
Nepal Army spokesperson Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet identified the rescued men as foreman Sanjay Shah and project supervisor Kabir Maharjan. They were found about 170 metres inside the tunnel and flown to a hospital in Kathmandu. Officials said Shah was stable, while Maharjan was in critical condition and receiving intensive care.
A search team involving the army and armed police crawled through sections of the tunnel to reach the main area. Police said a body was also recovered, but the operation was halted by Friday afternoon after rescuers found no further signs of life in the searched sections.
The rescue provided a rare moment of hope after the floods devastated hydropower sites along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers. Authorities have been concentrating on blocked tunnels where air pockets may have allowed workers to survive. Hundreds of workers remain unaccounted for across affected projects.
The disaster was triggered by a surge of water, debris and mud from the Nepal-Tibet border area. Nepal’s disaster authorities reported at least 1,287 deaths and more than 5,000 people missing, while rescue efforts continued across the worst-hit districts.
